Job Type: Permanent
Salary Details: $30-$34/hour DOE
Deadline: Sep 07, 2023

Background:

Based in Seattle, Northwest Natural Resource Group’s mission is to strengthen the ecological and economic vitality of Northwest forests and communities by connecting people with the knowledge, skills, and markets they need to steward their land. We focus on forests owned and managed by private landowners, smaller forest product companies, governmental agencies, non-profit organizations, and Indian tribes.

As a think-learn-and-do tank of ecological forestry, NNRG advances the state of knowledge about ecological forestry, spreads the word about its benefits and feasibility, and helps landowners put it into practice on their own forests. They provide access to Forest Stewardship Council® certification, forest management assistance, landowner incentives, marketing, and educational workshops. Their FSC® certificate includes more than 80 certified forests across 195,000 acres in Washington and Oregon, making it the largest certificate in the Pacific Northwest.

Summary of Position:

The Planning Forester develops and writes forest management plans for NNRG’s clients, a process that involves site visits with landowners to ascertain their objectives for the forest and identify and prioritize management opportunities. Through the management planning process, the Forester develops recommendations and timelines for commercial timber harvesting, as well as stewardship activities such as seedling release, invasive species control, wildlife habitat enhancement, road maintenance, cultivation and harvesting of non-timber forest products, and forest restoration activities. In addition, the Planning Forester takes part in NNRG’s timber harvest, forest measurement and inventory projects, including marking, layout, and preparing Forest Practice Applications (FPAs). In many instances the Forester may be the first point of contact with a new client, and as such must serve as a representative of NNRG – describing the services and benefits of the organization while inviting landowners to become members of NNRG’s forestry program and securing business opportunities with them. The position includes both field and office work. Field work includes site visits with or without accompanying landowners; rapid assessments of stand conditions; timber cruising; timber marking for harvest; and monitoring forest conditions. Field work will at times require the Forester to traverse steep and brushy terrain. Office work includes writing management plans, creating GIS maps to accompany them, and landowner contact by phone and email. Landowner communication and client relations, both in the field and from the office, are central to the position. This is a unique opportunity to help shape the future of forestry in the region by showing how landowners can achieve both ecological and economic objectives through thoughtful forest stewardship.

To perform this job well, you are:

  • A talented communicator, able to listen carefully and respectfully to a wide variety of landowner goals and values and to translate those goals into innovative forest management opportunities;
  • Skilled at cultivating client relationships, along the entire path from initial contact through contract, implementation, and client satisfaction;
  • Familiar with the full range of forest stewardship activities that can restore forest structure and diversity, while also generating income;
  • Experienced at forest mensuration and inventory techniques;
  • A clear and cogent writer;
  • Competent at the use of the Microsoft Office suite;
  • Experienced at creating maps using ESRI (ArcGIS) software; and
  • Passionate about the role that non-industrial forest owners can play in restoring forest ecosystems and rural economies in the Pacific

In addition, the ideal candidate will:

  • Have experience writing ecologically-based forest management plans;
  • Have experience managing logging operations, including compliance monitoring and landowner coordination;
  • Be sufficiently familiar with regional log markets and logging practices to discern the feasibility of timber harvest operations on a given forest stand;
  • Be familiar with the application of the Washington Forest Practices Act and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) principles and criteria to forest management decisions;
  • Have experience with forest modeling using FVS and spatial analysis using ArcGIS software;
  • Have a master’s degree in forestry or a related field; a bachelor’s degree plus two years’ experience; or an equivalent combination of experience and formal

Hours, Pay, and Location

This is an hourly position averaging 35 to 40 hours per week, paying between $30 and $34 per hour depending on experience and skills. Compensation also includes competitive vacation, retirement, and health-insurance benefits. Given the nature of coordinating with landowners, some work may occur in the evenings or on weekends, and may require occasional overnight stays to minimize travel time. You will be expected to provide your own vehicle; NNRG reimburses for mileage traveled to job sites, which are primarily located within a 90-minute driving radius of Tacoma or Olympia, or within a 2-hour drive of Seattle. Most work can be performed in the field or from home, though NNRG’s Seattle office is available for the forester’s use as well. This position reports to Director of Forestry Kirk Hanson, who is based in Olympia.

To Apply

Please email a cover letter and resume as a single pdf document to jobs@nnrg.org. Include your last name at the beginning of the file name of the pdf. For questions about the position, please contact Seth Zuckerman, Executive Director, at seth@nnrg.org. First review of applications will be on September 7, 2023.

For more information: https://www.nnrg.org/mission-approach/employment/